Pierson's POV

Joe continues to walk my way, but he soon stops a good twenty feet away from the spot where I currenly stand. Coward.

His expression is morphed into satisfaction and his eyes gleam with glory. He makes me want to go over there and punch his face in.

"Well Pierson, how are you my boy?" His voice is smooth and taunting as the words fall through his mouth. I grit my teeth not saying a word. He just wants a reaction out of me.

He smirks. "I'm not one to dance around the point, so let's get straight to it." His eyes turn into slits and his lips form into a smirk.

"You seem to be in a bind right now and I want nothing more than to help you," he muses sarcastically.

"Where's Elena?" I don't care how bad of a situation I am in. My mate may be suffering right now and that's my first priority.

The corners of his lips lift up further into a smile. "Why my daughter is just fine and dandy."

"For now that is," he adds cryptically.

At that my blood runs cold. I'm gonna kill him. Mark my words. It will happen whether I make it out of here alive or not.

"What do you want? Why do this? Is it for power?" I ask.

He brings his thumb and index finger up to his chin and cups it. He looks up to the sky as if he's thinking. When his eyes land back on me his face and voice are serious.

"Of course it's for the power. I should've been Alpha, not Kris. He has no backbone. He could've been the king of all packs but instead he settled to just lead one. This world could've been in the palm of our pack's hands, but instead of that, he now sits in his bed lifeless. Don't get me wrong I've been trying to increase the dosage to get him to die sooner rather than later, but he's been a fighter and I admire that. I was going to just get it over with quickly, but I think he deserves a slow and torturous death. Don't you?" He muses. My jaw ticks and the hatred continues to brew.

"He lets love get in the way of what he wants in his life. He always said that he's content with just your mother and you. That power didn't matter, but I believe that's also BS. Love gets in the way of things you want in life. My wife nearly destroyed me. She almost made me lose sight of what I really wanted. Elena too. She was always in the way, so I treated her like she was..."

"Enough!!!" I roar. My chest is heaving up and down and the anger is thrumming through my veins. This man is deranged.

"You want this pack. Then try to take it, but I promise you it won't be easy." My booming voice resonates through the trees. At my words my men step out from their spots and move behind me.

Joe laughs. A full on belly clenching laughter. When he strengthens back up he waves a hand in the air and the men lining the forest at once point their guns at us again.

"You're surrounded Pierson. You have no chance."

This time I smirk. "Did you really believe I didn't have a plan?" His face contorts to confusion.

In the next moment rustling can be heard around us. I had most of the pack stand back and wait. Just in case things didn't go as planned. We look to the rogues that surround us and in seconds my pack comes out of the trees in their wolf forms and attack.

As they do Joe becomee distracted and I take the chance and lunge at him. I tackle him to the floor. The impact is hard and I can hear the breath leave his lungs. I move to hover over him. I cock my hand back and force it forward with all the power that I have. I strike him right across the face and the satisfying sound of his nose cracking echoes through my ears. Blood spurts up into my face.

I move to throw another blow, but he's too quick, he hooks a leg behind my thigh and turns us forcefully so that I'm now in his previous position.

He straddles me at my torso and releases a series of blows to my face. I move my arms up and use my forearms to try and block them. Blood splatters out of my mouth. A strike to my eye leaves me seeing white spots in darkness.

"Pierson!" A panicked scream carries through the wind, the sounds of guns firing, the sound of people tearing each other apart, and through the pure chaos of it all.

The sound of it fills my lungs with a new set of fresh air. I turn my head and see Elena's tear streaked face a distance away.

She's okay.

She's here and she's okay. A smile, something I haven't had since she disappeared, stretches across my face.

"That stupid b*tch got out," Joe seethes.

I turn back to him and move my arms to twist around his neck. I pull him forward and he flips over me landing on his back. I quickly get to my feet and shift into my wolf. Once he gets back on his own two feet he follows suit.

I look at Elena and tell her that I'm okay and to find a spot to hide. I know right now everybody is going to find a way to get to her. She's the end game. If she dies it'll be game over for me.

****

Elena's POV

I'm stuck in the spot where I stand. Seeing my father and Pierson fight like this breaks my heart in two.

The pain of seeing the two men in your life who are supposed to have your back no matter what beat the living daylights out of each other hurts.

It more than hurts, but there's no other word I can use to describe it.

Pierson swipes his claws across his face, but my father returns it by allowing his teeth to tear into Pierson's arm. He let's out a loud yelp. I move towards him, but Rachel grabs my arm stopping me.

"You need to get somewhere safe," she stresses.

I look around and see the madness of it all. I see wolves tearing into each other. Bodies and gunshots flying through the air. I hear their animalistic growls and the sound of those who have fallen to protect their pack.

Blood rushes through my ears and it feels as if this is all a dream. I feel numb.

I look back to Pierson and my father and in that single moment my world begins its journey to crashing and blowing up in flames.

My father's elongated nails swip across Pierson's torso in one quick motion. Pierson falters and my father takes his other claw and jams it into his stomach. Pierson's body morphs and he is now stuck in the middle of being half wolf and half human.

My father twists his claws and Pierson falls to his knees. When he releases him he clutches his stomach and looks my way. His eyes are glossy and red.

The seconds tick by as the world turns slowly on it's axis. Pierson tilts his head back to my father and he releases another blow to his face. Blood and spit shoot from his mouth.

He needs me.

My adrenaline starts pumping and I start running towards him. I shift into my wolf as I'm going.

Just as my father moves again I tackle him to the ground. We roll in the dirt. The rocks poke at my back tearing the flesh.

I get up and steady myself. My father does the same. He snarls at me and his eyes blaze with rage.

"You want me? Then come get me?" I say.

In one quick movement he flies towards me. He's quick on his feet and I can see why Kris believes he's the best fighter he's ever seen.

I move to avoid him, but it's no use. He slams into me and I land on my back with a thud. Pain shoots up my spine.

He lays a foot over my chest and pushes.

"You're pathetic. Always have been and always will be," he snarls.

I writhe underneath him. His words burning a fire inside the depths of me.

"You would be such a disgrace to your mother."

The tears brim in my eyes when he mentions her. He moves and hits me across the face.

My face sways as the sting pinches at my skin. He lands a second one on the other side.

A drum beats inside my ears. I feel like time has slowed and all I can feel are the hits and the pressure on my aching chest.

I look at this man. A man that my mother loved and I loved.

My mother.

She would be so disappointed in what has become of him. I can hear her now. She wants me to fight. She doesn't want my life to end. I have so much to live for. My friends, Pierson, and for myself.

He releases another blow to my face, but before he moves his arm back I catch it in my teeth.

I do a quick move and flip us. I move to my feet as he gets up to attack me again.

His claws aim for my throat and I turn so he misses. As I do this my own claw comes back around and I swipe them at him. It catches his eye. He falls back.

After shaking his head once he looks back at me. Four red claw marks stretch diagonally from the corner of his forehead to the bridge of his nose. His eye is now glued shut.

I take the new opportunity and attack. I slam my head into his. We fight like the animals we are because we both know our lives depend on it. One of us is coming out of this and the other is not.

Claws across the face, teeth tearing into flesh, pain ripping through our bodies. Then a cracking noise sounds and I fall to the the floor once again. I look at my leg and see it hanging limply from my body. He snapped my bone.

I shift into my human form and he does the same. His lips are tipped up in malice.

"You know I thought we could work things out. Maybe rule this world together," he starts.

"But looking at you now that was never going to happen. Your mother had no plans to stand by my side, so I took care of her and now I'll do the same to you."

My breath hitches in my throat at this shocking confession.

"Wh..what do you mean," I choke out.

He let's out a loud chuckle. "I know you believe your mother died in that wreck all those years ago but that's not true. I was the one to end her life. She found out about my plans and wanted to tell Kris. I couldn't let that happen. She didn't love me if she could betray me. After I did the deed I never expected it to hurt so much, but if I'm being honest it had to happen. I wasn't about to give up what I needed to do for her. She did this. She tore our family apart. If she would've just stuck by my side like she was supposed to this..." he points his finger to him then to me indicating the fighting taking place," would've never happened and we could've all been a loving, powerful family," he finishes.

This man is sick. When did this happen? He's delusional. He's a murderer.

"I love you baby girl, but I can't have you stand in my way." His claws come out and he raises his hand high in the air. I close my eyes and just picture all the good things in my life and wait. There's no way I can beat him. He's too powerful.

I wait and open my eyes when I hear a loud groan. I look and see Pierson on top of him.

His right fists shoots flush into his jaw and a cracking sound can be heard once again. His left fist follows and then his right again. The pattern continues until my father is no longer thrashing around but instead still.

His chest heaves up and down. Blood is splattered across his face and knuckles. My father's face is swollen, bruised, and bloody.

He groans and tries to move. Pierson sees this and lifts his foot before slamming it down into his face. I shriek at the sight.

I want to tell him to stop, but I can't find it in myself. I've given him another chance before and he let me down. He doesn't deserve another chance. That was his last. He's too toxic for this world.

When Pierson's claws come up and swipe across his throat I feel nothing. I feel no remorse or sadness. I just feel empty as I stare at his cold lifeless body. It's unmoving and I know for a fact he won't stand again to fight.

I look around and see the madness coming to a slow end. The rogues falling one by one. Howling sounds through the cold air as the last few rogues take off upon seeing their leader and fellow comrades fall.

In an instant I'm picked up onto my feet by Pierson, but I wobble because my broken leg shoots pain when I put any pressure on it.

Pierson's hands roam my hips, arms, and face. "Are you okay?" He asks breathlessly.

I ignore him and place my hand on his stomach. His shirt is red and wet as the blood falls from his wound.

This looks bad. He places his hand over mine and pulls it away.

I look into his comforting green eyes and they say it all. He'll be okay.

Then it finally dawns on me that it's over. This madness is finally over. The tears leak from my eyes.

Pierson wipes them with the pad of his thumbs and holds me. He just holds me there in his arms as the time ticks away.

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Sorry this chapter took so long. I've been completing my final projects for all my courses this semester. Anyway, there's only one more chapter left, so stay tuned. 😭😭😭

As always, thank for reading!